With 82,155 accidents in five years, Gujarat's road traffic condition is in desperate need of help

AHMEDABAD: Nine people were killed, and 13 injured when a speeding luxury car hit a crowd of people who had gathered to assist victims of an earlier collision between an SUV and a truck in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. This triggered a debate in Gujarat about traffic safety and collisions. 

According to NCRB statistics, Gujarat witnessed about 82,000 accidents over the past five years, resulting in 36,000 fatalities.

Meanwhile, 7457 people lost their lives in 15,200 road traffic accidents in 2021, the highest death rate in the ten years at 49%.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

• In 2017, 18,631 cases were reported with 7,663 deaths and 17,955 injuries.
• In 2018, 18,414 accidents were reported, with 8,040 deaths and 17,619 injuries.
• In 2019, 16,503 accidents were reported, with 7,428 deaths and 15,976 injuries.
• In 2020,  13,407 accidents were reported, resulting in 6,200 deaths and 11,984 injuries.
• In 2021, there were 15,200 accidents, with 7,457 persons killed and 13,722 injured.

Surat saw the highest mortality rate in road traffic accidents at 40.5%. Following closely behind were Rajkot (37%), Vadodara (31%), and Ahmedabad (28%). The mortality rate in Surat was the highest over the previous five years.

Kumar Manish, the founder of 'Urban Voices,' a platform that raises voices for happy and sustainable cities. stated "Road accidents are actually a culmination of a lot of administrative failures, including our own "chalta hai" (let it be attitude)," This rising number of traffic accidents not only endangers public safety but also places a strain on the city's resources and infrastructure.”

The biggest number of vehicle accidents in Gujarat have been reported on national highways.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways provided statistics from the report "ROAD ACCIDENTS IN INDIA 2021" that show that, in Gujarat, 3,997 accidents were reported on national roads in 2018, resulting in 2,171 fatalities; 3,511 accidents were reported in 2019; 1,898 fatalities occurred; 3,234 accidents occurred in 2020; 1,797 fatalities occurred; and 3,406 accidents were reported in 2021; 2,077 fatalities occurred.

Data from the Road Transport and Highways Ministry states that in Gujarat in 2021, "Under the age of Eighteen, 328 children and 85 girls died in traffic accidents, while 1334 men and 159 women between the ages of 18 and 25 perished on the roads."

“Unfortunately, we are losing young lives on the road at a productive age. And, in order to address this vital issue effectively, we must first look into the statistics, road design, and behaviour to understand the nature of accidents and identify areas that require both short-term and long-term fixes," said Kumar Manish.